Myrtle Hockett

As a child, I was never taught much about God. My parents would take me with them to the dance halls and places of amusement and as I grew older, those things became a part of my very life. I tried hard to find satisfaction until my life was just a tangle and my character was blighted by sin. I would go to my home after a night of revelry in sin and cry myself to sleep. I knew I wasn’t right with God. One night, when just a young person of nineteen, the load of sin on my life got so heavy I couldn’t bear it any longer.

God led me to a little church in Salem, Oregon, where the Apostolic Faith people were holding meetings. As I sat in that meeting, the Lord convicted me of my sins. When the altar call was given, I went forward and poured out my heart to God. Tears of repentance streamed down my cheeks, and I knew my sins were forgiven. The love for the so-called pleasures of the world was gone, and the peace of Heaven filled my soul.

I am thankful for the privilege I had of kneeling at an altar and praying a prayer that God could answer. That was over fifty years ago, but the results of that prayer have kept me all through my life. I am so glad I can be here with victory in my heart and something in my life that wants to serve the Lord better. I am glad for the things I have heard at this camp meeting. It just thrills my soul. God sanctified me wholly, and He baptized me with the Holy Ghost and fire.

He has been my Healer for many years. I took a fall headfirst down some stairs, which resulted in a brain concussion and internal injuries. People at my place of business thought I would not be well again, but I put my trust in God. The people of God prayed and held on to the Lord for me, and today I am well and back at work. They look at me in amazement when I tell them the Lord healed me. I have found through the years that it more than pays to serve God.

There is a real praise and gratitude in my heart for what the Lord means to me! Through the good times and the bad times, I have had One who has kept my feet out of the ways of the world, and has given me a hope of Heaven. I would not exchange that for anything in this world. I thank Him with all my heart.